Interview at the Writers’ Lens
Writer, blogger, and St. Louis Writers Guild board member David Lucas graciously extended an invitation to interview me on a shared blog, The Writers’ Lens. If it appears I’m being intentionally vague, I am. David agreed that would be okay until I’m ready to open up more about the project. What follows is simply a screenshot; to read the full interview, click here or on the image below.
And thanks to Dave for the opportunity and PR!
William Least Heat-Moon’s Newest Book to be Released in 2012
If you are a writer and/or a lover of eloquent prose, you probably have at read (at least once) the American classic Blue Highways (1983).
Having lost his job and separated from his wife, William Least Heat-Moon (Will Trogdon) took to the road over thirty years ago in a Ford Econoline van, chronocling his travels and profiling the ordinary folks he met along the way. That little journey eventually landed him on the New York Times Bestseller list for 42 weeks and on Late Night with David Letterman (NBC) on April 7, 1983. (He has a funny story to tell about that, by the way.)
With Heat-Moon’s newest book, Here, There, Elsewhere, slated for release by Little, Brown and Company in December 2012, and the anniversary edition of Blue Highways coming up in 2013, the author decided it was time to launch an official Facebook page. He wants to do something a little different with it, though. He wants to interact with people.
Most authors post (or hire someone to post) news of new releases or speaking engagements (and Heat-Moon will do that, too). But he also has some innovative ideas about engaging readers in discussions and inviting them to post their own thoughts and photographs from the road.
The page is simply a skeleton today of what it will be within the next few weeks. But take a look, read the updated bio and welcome message from Heat-Moon (under Info), and consider subscribing to see what comes next. While readers have created several other pages to honor and discuss the author’s works, Heat-Moon will personally oversee this page himself.
And while you’re at it, take a look at the site for Blue Highways Revisited, a book by photographers Edgar I. Ailor III and Edgar I. Ailor IV (friends of Heat-Moon) that will be published by the University of Missouri Press in 2012.
When I Grow Up I Want to Be . . .
Reblogged from Preacher on the Plaza:
. . . a writer like Anne Lamott She recently said this about writing: “I try to write the books I would love to come upon, that are honest, concerned with real lives, human hearts, spiritual transformation, families, secrets, wonder, craziness — and that can make me laugh. When I am reading a book like this, I feel rich and profoundly relieved to be in the presence of someone who will share the truth with me, and throw the lights on a little, and I try to write these kinds of books. Books, for me, are …
Fatal Mistakes: A Book Review
Fatal Mistakes
Denton Gay
ISBN 978-1-60910-099-5
BookLocker.com, Inc.
A troubled cop, tortured by images from his past, makes a dangerous mistake that leads him down a path of self-destruction and lands him on trial for murder in this legal thriller from Denton Gay (Tailspin, 2010; American Highway Roulette, 2010).
Eric Thornton wakes up in a hospital bed, booked on a DWI. He doesn’t remember getting drunk or wrecking his car—and he certainly doesn’t remember why he would have done such a thing. He has embarrassed his department and may lose his job—but these are the least of his problems. According to the police, Thornton also shot and killed an unarmed man while responding to a domestic dispute. Now the victim’s well-connected family wants justice—and revenge.
Eric Thornton must fight for his freedom, if only he can tolerate his raging headaches long enough to remember what really happened that night. Why had he been so angry? Was the shooting in self-defense? Or did a simple miscalculation spark a series of events that threaten to send Thornton away for life? Haunted by the consequences of his actions and desperate to understand his motivations, he welcomes the intervention of a psychotherapist retained by his defense attorney. Together, the two explore Thornton’s past and uncover repressed memories that may have led, in part, to his current predicament.
Thornton’s romantic encounters appear a bit cliché at times, and conversations with his therapist, as he journeys toward self-discovery in defeat of his inner demons, occasionally take us out of the action a bit too long. But author Denton Gay makes up for it with vivid descriptions of the murder scene and Thornton’s precarious prison encounters. Equally engaging is the narration of the events in court, with all the nuances we’d expect from a police officer’s murder trial. With each chapter, Gay tempts the reader with just enough detail to whet the appetite for what comes next. Eric Thornton’s internal dialogue, as he attempts to recreate the crime scene in his mind and recall the events that led to his undoing, invites us to know him intimately and makes him the perfect character to root for, in spite of—or maybe because of—his many human flaws.
Fatal Mistakes is a legal thriller in the tradition of Grisham, with a touch of romance and personal journey blended throughout. An enjoyable read and one to recommend.
Tuscon and tragedy: How many more?
Image via Wikipedia: University of Arizona, Tucson
Remember when columbine was just a flower that grew in the mountains? Or a quiet city in Colorado?
Google it now. You’ll find page after link after post about the famous high school massacre with which the word has now become synonymous. You must add “flower” or “Colorado” to your search field if you want to read about something other than the 1999 tragedy.
Same thing with September 11, 2001. Only in this case, the date became at least as synonymous with the attack as New York, probably because the United States as a whole was the perceived target of the attack, and not just the city.
And of course, there is the 2007 shooting that will forever be connected in the minds of many Americans with Virginia Tech.
So far, Tuscon isn’t synonymous with tragedy in as big a way as Columbine. But Google the town’s name, and you’ll only find three or four listings related to town statistics or tourism before the references become all about the shooting that took place one year ago today.
The event even has its own Wikipedia page: 2011 Tucson shooting
As the world knows, January 8, 2011, Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was the victim of an assassination attempt at her “Congress on Your Corner” event in Tuscon.
Miraculously, she survived. Six other people were killed; thirteen were wounded. Jared Lee Loughner was diagnosed with schizophrenia and found unfit to stand trial in May. He is apparently undergoing treatment here at a federal prison in my own state of Missouri (Springfield). His erie mugshot smile is enough to give the least squeamish among us nightmares.
Today, exactly one year later, many people who had never heard of Gabrielle Giffords feel they’ve come to know her personally after rooting for her throughout her past year of healing.
Thousands have blogged, posted Facebook comments, and tweeted to celebrate Giffords’ determination.
A PBS documentary, Together We Heal, aired this week (and will air again tonight). The documentary is narrated by a University of Arizona graduate and features 36 interviews with victims and their families, members of Giffords’ staff, and the medical staff who treated them, according to Arizona Public Media.
Millions who never gave much thought to how a brain really works or what happens when one is shot in the head are now aware of the amazing restorative capabilities of the brain (in some instances), thanks to CNN and media reports. “Dr. Sanjay Gupta Reports: Saving Gabby Giffords” aired just four months after the shooting.
Tuscon hosted a day of remembrance and candlelight vigil this year: “Remembering January 8th: The Spirit of Tuscon.” Gabrielle Giffords planned to attend. The citizens of Tucson have pulled together to honor their leaders and remember their fallen, and to demonstrate to the world their strength to move foward in support of one another with hope for the future.
But outside of Tucson and aside from family members and friends of the victims, many Americans today opened their newspapers or pulled up their favorite online news sites or turned on a television news program and said, “Really? That’s been a year already?”
And some of us stopped to reflect. We said to ourselves or to each other, “When will it stop? How many more? How many cities or calendar dates or school names will lose at least part of their identities to a page in the history books or a Wikipedia page about violence and death?
How many?
Related articles
- Bells Ring Out Across Tucson, Arizona, Mark 1 Year From Attack That Killed 6, Wounded Giffords (brandtstandard.com)
- Gabrielle Giffords Returns to Tuscon One Year After Shooting (inquisitr.com)
- Giffords comes home to mark Tucson shooting anniversary (vancouversun.com)
- Gabrielle Giffords, victims mark rampage anniversary (cbc.ca)
- Gabrielle Giffords comes home to mark Tucson shooting anniversary (calgaryherald.com)
